Herbal Remedy 2: Basil Gimlet
So we would hate for all of that fresh basil you purchased yesterday for 1 drink to go to waste, so we figured we’d help you out with another Basil recipe today… Actually a large number of the recipes I have call for either basil or gin (and some for both.
This one comes to us from Rye in San Francisco (by way of The Kitchn), it is one of their most requested cocktails apparently and super simple to make:
Basil Gimlet
5 fresh basil leaves
2 ounces Plymouth Gin
1/2 ounce agave nectar
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
Method: In a pint glass, muddle fresh basil, agave nectar, and lime juice. Add ice and gin. Shake vigorously and strain into stemmed glass. Garnish with fresh basil leaf.
So if you are going to whip this up keep a few things in mind- Fresh lime juice is called for instead of Rose’s or sweetened lime juice, that is because the agave has a natural sweetness to it, adding agave and sweetend lime juice would give you an overly sweet drink. Also, as with most drinks you can substitute the gin with vodka and it tastes pretty darn good, in fact I am going to adapt the recipe to how it will end up being made in my kitchen:
Matt’s Basil Gimlet
5 fresh basil leaves
2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice
1/4 ounce seltzer water
Method: In a pint glass, muddle fresh basil and lime juice. Add ice and vodka. Shake vigorously and strain into tumbler over ice (I prefer mine on the rocks instead of straight-up). Add a splash of seltzer and garnish with fresh basil leaf.
Although the gimlet is a pretty light and refreshing drink to begin with, I can only imagine that the fresh basil muddled in will add a nice clean, crisp taste to the drink, perfect for summer.
